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Diners take a bite out of Austin

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'Taste of Austin' a sellout
Westwood High School DECA students have found a new way to spell success: S-O-L-D O-U-T! These two little words graced the box office window at the Palmer Events Center in Austin Wednesday as the students hosted the fourth annual Taste of Austin event to a standing-room-only crowd.

The Taste of Austin event is an annual joint project by the Westwood DECA Association of Marketing Students and the Austin Restaurant Association. It gives the students the opportunity to host a professional event while providing area restaurants a way to reach new customers.

The evening was a huge success, according to WHS students Joshua Martin and Prathiba Pandian, who helped organize the event.

"It's been great working with professionals in marketing and advertising and people who really care about what they're doing," Pandian said. "It's been really great for us high school students to get to be a part of this experience."

Martin volunteered at two previous Taste of Austin events, but this was his first year as a member of the organizing team. Even early on in the evening, he said it looked like the event would be a sellout. Reserved seating had sold out well in advance of the feast, with a note on the event's website to call for general admission availability after noon on Wednesday.

Thousands of people filed through the Palmer Events Center, sampling specialties from more than 50 Austin-area restaurants and caterers. The lines moved slowly, but the food never ran out. The hall was filled with tempting aromas as many of the restaurants continued to prepare items on site. Even the air outside the center was alive, as the scent of meats on the grill drifted from the numerous truck-sized barbeque pits several restaurants brought along to feed the hungry crowd.

The party atmosphere was enhanced by live rock classics played by The Pictures Band, as children and adults took to the dance floor.

Mobile Loaves and Fishes, a charity that provides food and necessities to the needy, hosted a raffle, giving away a number of restaurant gift certificates. Several restaurants had their own give-aways, including Chipotle who offered guests a chance at a "wheel of fortune" for free meals.

"This is great," WHS senior Vinu Ilakkuvan said. "I had no idea there would be so many restaurants here."

Amanda Griman, also a Westwood senior, said she learned of the event from her friends in DECA.

"This is a very nice way to sample foods from lots of Austin restaurants," Griman said.

The students learned many marketing skills by organizing the event, according to Westwood DECA sponsor Beverly Cowsert, but participating in the Taste of Austin can have long-term benefits for the restaurants, as well, as they reach out to new customers.

Rick Sparks of Cedar Park said he has attended Taste of Austin every year. He comes to support the students, but has also found new favorite dining spots because of it.

"I think it's amazing that this is put on by high school kids," Sparks said. "I love the people, the food, the band, and it's such a great opportunity to try some new restaurants. I've visited several new restaurants thanks to this event."

Last year with more than 2,000 in attendance, Taste of Austin 2004 raised more than $13,000 for the Westwood DECA program and the Austin Restaurant Association scholarship program. Attendance figures and the amount raised this year were not available at press time.

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